Acidosis

Fetal acidosis happens when there are high amounts of acid in the blood of a fetus. Generally, if a baby's oxygen levels are affected during or just after birth, the blood can become too acidic. Acidosis can be caused by a number of factors, including shoulder dystocia, positioning of the baby, umbilical cord compression, an umbilical cord around a baby's neck, or macrosomia. If your child suffers injuries in the womb or just after delivery due to medical malpractice, the Syracuse acidosis lawyers at DeFrancisco & Falgiatano may be able to help you recover damages.

Numerous complications can cause acidosis for babies in Syracuse, Rochester, and the surrounding areas. Some of these are not the fault of anyone. For example, an umbilical cord around a baby's neck can cut off their oxygen supply, resulting in acidosis. Similarly, if a cord becomes compromised, vital oxygen can be cut off, resulting in acidosis. However, sometimes acidosis is a result of something that is at least partially due to medical care provided just before and during labor, such as a breech birth or a prolonged labor and delivery process that results in a child getting stuck in the delivery canal. Or, if a child's head is too large to pass through the birth canal, the result may be acidosis.

Some signs and symptoms of acidosis include respiratory distress, little fetal movement, fetal distress, difficulty swallowing or latching, fatigue, weakness, and a low Apgar score after delivery. Acidosis can result in complications such as developmental delays, mental retardation, seizure disorders, paralysis, cerebral palsy, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, and even death.

Doctors' negligence can cause complications from acidosis. A doctor may negligently fail to conduct tests necessary to diagnose acidosis, use fetal monitoring equipment improperly in trying to determine whether there is fetal distress, miscalculate a baby's size and thereby allow delivery complications, fail to administer oxygen to a newborn, or fail to address a difficult delivery. In some cases, acidosis calls for a doctor to do a C-section. It is important for a medical professional to act immediately and appropriately once acidosis is detected. Otherwise, an acidosis attorney in the Syracuse area can help a family bring a claim to hold them accountable.

When a child is brain damaged due to acidosis, they might need prolonged physical rehabilitation or surgery. In some cases, the complications are expensive to address, and the only way that parents can afford to address them is by holding a health care provider responsible for negligence.

To hold a health care provider responsible for acidosis injuries, you will need to show by a preponderance of the evidence that there was a doctor-patient relationship, the doctor or other health care provider deviated from the accepted standard of professional care, this deviation caused acidosis complications, and actual damages resulted.

A Syracuse acidosis attorney can usually recover compensatory damages for a family if they can show these elements. Compensatory damages are damages intended to put you into the position where you would have been had the negligence not occurred. They can include medical treatment, prescription drugs, medical equipment, rehabilitation, therapy, and loss of quality of life. As a parent, it can be challenging to deal with a newborn's serious medical condition, and you may be able to recover emotional distress damages for any trauma that you suffer as a result of an OB-gyn or nurse's medical negligence in connection with acidosis.

We will need to retain an expert who can provide an opinion about whether your doctor was negligent and whether that negligence caused injuries to the baby. Most of the time, we will want to file a certificate about our consultation with an expert when we file the complaint, although there are circumstances in which a variance is allowed. However, due to this requirement, it is important to seek out legal representation as soon as you realize that there may have been medical negligence in connection with your baby's acidosis.

If you are harmed due to a doctor's failure to properly treat fetal acidosis, our law firm may be able to help you recover damages from the responsible parties. We also represent injured patients in communities such as Rochester, Binghamton, Auburn, Elmira, Norwich, Cortland, Delhi, Herkimer, Watertown, Lowville, Oneida, Wampsville, Utica, Canandaigua, Oswego, Cooperstown, Ithaca, Lyons, and all of Upstate New York. Call us at 833-200-2000 or contact us via our online form.